


Full Stop

by saisei



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, M/M, Making Up, World of Ruin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-14 00:17:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20591504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saisei/pseuds/saisei
Summary: Gladio finally stops being angry with Ignis after Altissia, and they talk about what they need.





	Full Stop

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dudewheresmytea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dudewheresmytea/gifts).

> A remix of dudewheresmytea's [Fuck Stop](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19272382).

Gladio checked his phone as the three of them headed down to the car pool to see what crappy rustbucket hunter headquarters could spare for their hunt today. The nicer vehicles were all small, but they always needed something big enough for Gladio to drive, too, seeing as Noct was gone and Ignis... yeah.

He sent Iris a quick message saying he loved her and would be back soon. Checking his phone, he noted that the number of messages received on his hookup app had gone up. People were apparently really down to fuck in Lestallum. He got it; sex was a way to take a break from facing down the end of the world. Same as why he kept taking on these daemon hunts with Prompto and Ignis. They were necessary, now that the sun barely skimmed the horizon, but being able to stop thinking and just kill the fuckers felt good.

He'd been angry for months now, ever since Iggy went and ruined himself with the damn ring, shielding Noct from Ardyn. Gladio hadn't been there; he should have been, and his rage and frustration had been spiraling like a tropical storm since.

Maybe he just needed to get laid. He looked at the little red number on the app one more time, and then shoved his phone in his pocket.

Time for that later.

*

The hunt went as well as could be expected. It was a simple shop drop: clear out the daemons, toss everything on the shelves into the back of the truck, kill the other daemons who showed up, and haul ass for the nearest haven. Procuring supplies was important, especially out here past the patrol perimeter, but hardly Crownsguard work.

Their unstated mission was to get Ignis back in fighting form. He trained his ass off – literally, Gladio thought, eyeing that ass as Ignis worked with Prompto to get dinner ready. Ignis had never been slight, but he was putting on hard muscle thanks to regular beatings from Cor and Aranea. But he was still clumsy in a fight, hesitant when he should be confident, getting turned around easily and losing track of both allies and enemies. Prompto and Gladio knew how to cover for him, but he knew as well as they did that learning to rely on that assistance would be fatal.

He finished putting the tent up at the same time the cup noodles were done. He rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck as he walked over. They ate in silence: Prompto nodding off, Gladio checking his phone, and Ignis concentrating on not spilling his food all down himself. (Gladio always left clean-up duty to Prompto; it killed him to see Ignis clumsy or messy.) When the meal was over, Gladio volunteered to clean up and told Prompto to hit the sack. He'd wake him when it was second watch.

A good plan, except it left him working side by side with Ignis. Like the hunt, this was baby stuff compared to what Ignis used to pull off: rinse the cups, dump the soupy dregs over the edge of the haven, toss the garbage in the armiger for later, wipe down the prep table and pour the water left in the pot back into the tank so bugs didn't get in.

Without spilling it all over the ground or his shoes was the goal, but Ignis managed to do both. Gladio watched his mouth thin and tighten with frustration for a moment before he tried again, and then suddenly the world felt like it was turning inside out.

How come he was standing here thinking about how much trouble Ignis' blindness made for him, stewing in his own guilt and anger, when Ignis was his _friend_. More than that, maybe, or he had been, before Altissia. What if it was him who'd been hurt, how would he feel?

He remembered, back when Ignis first propositioned him (which had been hot as fuck; Ignis had _balls_), they'd talked about their duty to the Crown, and how lonely it was, dedicating your whole life to that higher purpose. How Ignis had framed the arrangement as helping Gladio out, which had maybe been something Gladio should have questioned. Sure, Ignis prided himself on not needing help, but that just meant he had no one to turn to.

So he turned all of that in on himself.

"You know, Iggy," he said, doing his best to put warmth into his voice; he sounded irritated anyway, from having gotten into the habit. Try again. "If you ever need to vent... I know I haven't been a good friend to anyone recently, especially to you. But there's got to be stuff you want to get off your chest."

Ignis' second round with the water tank was going better, albeit slow and painstakingly careful. Gladio didn't expect a reply until the force of his concentration was released. He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out his phone. Iris had sent him an emoji-laden good night message, which he replied to swiftly.

The number on the hookup app had gone up.

"I don't expect you to be beholden to me," Ignis said, twisting the cap on tight and standing at last. He reached out for the table, found the edge, and trailed his fingers to the side, where he found the dishtowel on its ring. He dried the pot with swift sure strokes and set it on the burner. "I have never _wanted_ that – to be a habit, or an object of pity. So if there's someone or something else you want, Gladio – and I do know you're looking – I shan't stand in your way. You are quite free to do as you please."

Gladio sat hard on his temper and made himself really listen, with as open a mind as he could muster. He'd thought Ignis would complain about his blindness, all the things he couldn't do and so on. He hadn't even considered – though he should have; he knew Ignis – that Ignis would be stewing about relationship problems. The King was missing, endless night was falling, daemons were everywhere, and Gladio hadn't gotten laid since that very nice hotel in Altissia, with the perfect mattress that he'd fucked Ignis for the first time on. He'd been well-worth waiting for.

The whole evening had been romantic: Prompto and Noct had wanted to go see a movie, so they'd headed out after an amazing dinner served up on the balcony, overlooking the sea and the sunset. And then Ignis had stripped for Gladio by candlelight. They'd kissed, and tumbled into bed... Even just thinking about it made Gladio hard.

He bet Ignis thought about that night, too, except with the way Gladio'd been giving him the cold shoulder, it probably seemed more like something else Ardyn had robbed him of. Not that Ignis would complain; not that he ever did, and Gladio could kick himself for not seeing it earlier.

He must have been silent too long, because Ignis squared his shoulders and crossed his arms, as if he was being made to perform an unpleasant task. "You can't respect me as you did," Ignis went on, and even though Gladio knew he deserved the pain the words brought, he still winced. "Which I fully understand. It'd be foolish to act as if nothing changed." He bit his lower lip hard enough that the skin blanched around the red of the new scar, and then reached up and slipped off the visor he wore. He wore it _to protect his eyes_, he'd said, but also – shit. It was a way for him to hide, as well, because sightless or not, Gladio could still read the look in that one visible eye. Resignation, and also a gentle fondness. The way he'd looked at Noct, even when the kid was a brat.

"A shit-ton of stuff's changed," Gladio admitted. "But not how I feel about you, okay? Fucking hell, of course I still respect you. It stings my pride that I can't live up to what you've done – I'm not angry at you, I'm the one who should have been there." He sucked in a breath. "It should have been me."

Ignis' chin went up, jaw tightening. _Kind Iggy has left the building_, Gladio thought, and even though he was clinging to the shards of his heart and his dignity, he almost had to grin. _Here comes kickass Iggy._

"I never want to hear you say that again." Despite his voice being low, the threat behind his words was clear. "_Never_." He reached out, his palm smacking hard against Gladio's bare chest. "Our duty is not some kind of... crass competition."

Gladio knew that; he was well aware that personal glory had no place in the Crownsguard. They'd all been trained by Cor, after all, whose career had been held up to all new recruits as both an example and a warning. Everything done in the service of the Crown had value; not everyone could or should be the Immortal. But Gladio was Noct's Shield as well, and he'd trained all his life to stand between Noct and his enemies.

Letting go of the guilt that when Noct needed him most, he'd been halfway across the city, and that Ignis had needed to put on the Ring to keep Ardyn away from Noct, even though everyone knew about Nyx Ulric's sacrifice for Insomnia... it was damn hard. Ignis needed him to. But it'd take some time and work.

"It's not," Gladio agreed. "Like you said... we have obligations. And even though we're sworn to Lucis and to Noct, I'm pretty sure we're the best chance this whole world has of surviving the apocalypse long enough for Noct to come back and save us all." He sucked in a breath. "Remember when we were kids it felt like, okay, these are the rules, this is how it is – things were static, everyone had a place. The King was always going to be Regis, with my dad at his side, Noct was always going to be a kid. And then everyone died – Regis, my mom and dad, your parents, Insomnia."

Ignis watched him with diminishing patience, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers against one elbow, like a countdown timer.

Gladio stumbled on. "But the four of us, we were safe. Untouchable. All those hunts and daemons and shit, we walked away from. And then – shit, Iggy. We finally got to the altar and see you and Noct laid out like corpses in the rain – "

"I would do it again," Ignis interrupted. The words were offhand and unemotional, as if making that sacrifice – even though he'd doubtless thought it'd kill him – was unremarkable.

"That's what makes you such a badass." Gladio meant to break the heavy mood, but Ignis frowned as if he was being teased.

"It's hardly badass to fall over my own feet and fight like a child holding a weapon for the first time." He made a vague, disparaging gesture to his face. "These aren't even dashing scars, they're just... ugly. Not like yours." He bit his lip again as if trying to dam an outburst that to Gladio sounded... well. Ignis was a positive person, so his optimism was genuine. But this sounded true, too, and had probably been eating at Ignis all this time, while he said nothing and Gladio was too blinded by his own anger to notice.

"Hey." Gladio started to raise his hand and then froze. How stupid was that? They'd been through so much, they'd been sleeping together for months, and now he didn't know how to touch Ignis. "They're damn sexy scars. Can I touch your face?"

Ignis' eye, the one that wasn't trapped behind scar tissue, moved back and forth, like he was doing his best to see Gladio and figure out what he was up to. It didn't work, of course, and Ignis' mouth thinned. He slid his visor back on. "Please don't."

That was fine; Gladio liked a challenge. "Why don't you go sit down over there and I'll touch you somewhere else?" That hit a nerve, he could tell, but maybe not a good one. "Anything I can do to help with any of your frustrations," he'd normally wink, but he tried to convey the sentiment via tone, "I'd be more than glad to."

"I don't know where the chairs are," Ignis said, still in that stilted way like he was telling Gladio to fuck off.

Gladio bet it about killed him to have to admit that, though, which meant he was testing Gladio. Even though he was eating those words now, he'd made it clear to everyone that he'd thought Ignis was a liability on the battlefield; while Ignis had taken that criticism professionally, he wasn't going to stand for a lover who was repelled by his blindness.

And he shouldn't have to.

"Allow me," he said, and caught Ignis' hand in his own. He ducked to brush a kiss over the back and then placed it over his own forearm, with the same earnest clumsiness he recalled from etiquette lessons a decade or so ago.

"You're ridiculous," Ignis said, but he allowed himself to be formally escorted across to the chairs.

Normally, Gladio'd be flip and say _You love it_ because he knew Ignis did like being treated well, and he also enjoyed when Gladio was playful. But those words seemed far too loaded right now, so he just leaned down to kiss Ignis on the cheek, hoping that worked both as apology and enticement.

When they stopped – at Gladio's chair, with the tent behind it – Ignis tried to be subtle about locating the chair with his foot before reaching out to grope for it. Gladio had no doubt that if they were in a cave with no lights, they'd all be stumbling around with their hands out and wouldn't care how clumsy it looked. But Ignis was trying to learn how to get around while simultaneously doing his best to hide that that was what he was doing. Gladio bet the effort was exhausting, and he knew that while most of it was Ignis' stubborn pride, the rest was intended to put others at ease. To reassure them, falsely, that he wasn't handicapped, only slightly inconvenienced.

"You should take your pants off before you sit down," Gladio said, putting his arms around Ignis' waist and giving an illustrative tug on his belt. He didn't pull Iggy back against his chest like he used to, though; he'd figured out Ignis' balance was a lot shakier than he let on. At the time, he'd been angry that he was being lied to, but now he just felt like he owed Ignis an apology that he'd needed to lie _for_ Gladio, so he wouldn't worry, or be angry, or try to leave him behind again.

"The chairs aren't very sturdy," Ignis warned. "And you should put a towel down."

Gladio nearly laughed at the mental image of the two of them trying to fuck in one of these folding chairs; even when he was just sitting it creaked ominously. But he'd worked hard to win Ignis over to the many pleasures of outdoor sex, and he was touched by Ignis' willingness to go along with him without objection, despite everything.

"Good idea," he said, and let Iggy go to pull what he wanted out of the armiger. A stack of towels was always useful, and a blanket would come in handy in case Prompto woke up and they needed to cover up fast. He covered the seat with the softest towel. "There you go."

Ignis lowered both his trousers and his shorts together and sat down carefully. Gladio dropped a towel for his knees and knelt down right in front of Ignis. He put his hands on his bared thighs and slid them down, easing Ignis' trousers down to his ankles, then removing shoes and socks and everything all in one eager go.

"Those need to be folded," Ignis said.

Gladio was already on it; being nearly on eye-level with Iggy's dick was great for his motivation. But he was going to do this right and take his time. He started with Iggy's feet, massaging out all the tension in his toes and digging his thumbs into the arches, and then worked his way up. Ignis didn't fall as much now as he had when he first lost his sight, but his shins and knees were still a mass of bruises, from tumbles and walking into things. He needed to use the cane more, Gladio thought, and on the heels of that wondered if Ignis was ashamed to use it in front of him.

He tried to be gentle and avoid pressing too hard down on the bruises, but he could tell by the way Ignis' head tipped back in relief that he'd been carrying too much stress; going by how his cock was starting to harden as well, it was obvious just how good the slow massage was making him feel. Hands that had been clenched around the armrests went lax, and Gladio grinned to himself.

"Let me know what you want," he said, pitching his voice low and as sexy as he could make it. "Anything you want."

Ignis shifted, spreading his legs wider. "I can think of several things off the top of my head."

"Which head?" Gladio asked, reaching up and running his thumb over the slit of Ignis' cock, where precum had formed a fat bead. He spread it around the velvety soft skin, teasing just a bit, watching as Ignis breathed in deeply, trying to keep himself under control.

Gladio wanted to make him go absolutely wild to the point of not caring about being naked or noisy, but not right now. Tonight was about something different; not Gladio's wants, but Ignis' needs.

"You could put that smart mouth of yours to better use," Ignis said tartly. He raised one hand and reached out, careful but not hesitant, until his fingers brushed against Gladio's hair. They slid in, gentle until he clenched a handful firmly. "Some of us are sexually frustrated."

"Sounds like you need a better boyfriend."

"A better trained one, perhaps." Fortunately, Ignis sounded more amused than aggrieved, and he used his hold on Gladio's hair to pull him forward. Gladio went eagerly: he loved wrapping his lips around the firm weight of Ignis' cock.

He hadn't even realized he'd been missing this, but when Ignis made a muffled groan at the sensation, Gladio felt something click in his head, a feeling of rightness. This was what he'd been wanting and needing all along, and instead in his anger he'd prevented them from healing together. Well, as Cor used to say, _You don't get do-overs in life, just do-better next times_.

He probably owed Iggy a hell of a lot of blowjobs, but he tried his hardest to make this one good. He braced his hands on Ignis' thighs and swallowed him all the way down, then slid back as far as he could go before Ignis' grip tightened, pulling him back. He kept the rhythm slow enough to make Ignis' hips jerk, trying to go faster, but Gladio held him down. The hem of Ignis' shirt got in the way, and Gladio pulled off just long enough to say, "Lose the shirt." Ignis frowned, and Gladio regretted making him have to think just when things were getting good. "I've got a blanket to cover up if we need it."

Ignis raised a disapproving eyebrow at that – whatever, Gladio'd shake the dirt out of the blanket tomorrow – but reached up to undo the top buttons of his shirt and then pulled it over his head. His visor got caught as well, and Gladio saw Ignis' moment of indecision before he dropped both shirt and visor to the ground in abandon.

Gladio rewarded him with enthusiastic cocksucking, and this time got both of Iggy's hands in his hair.

He was in the habit of glancing up every now and then to meet Ignis' eyes for approval, and he missed that. He didn't like seeing Ignis' clouded eye moving like he was trying to see, and he didn't like the way the scars from the Ring on his face and his chest and his arm caught the firelight like golden cracks of magic shining through his skin. He hated the way he was reminded of Ignis alone, hurt, and making a decision that could easily have been fatal. But well, Gladio was in a glass house where scars and fatal consequences were concerned. And Ignis was still Ignis. Same terrible sense of humor, same ability to hold off his orgasm for ages by force of will, even though the effort made sweat bead at his hairline and along his collarbones. Same ridiculous trendy hairstyle that looked so good mussed and distressed.

He had the feeling he could fall in love with Ignis in a split second, if that was possible for people with obligations like theirs. But maybe that was just his own impatient horniness talking.

"So do you want to come like this," he asked, letting his hand take over for his mouth, long slow strokes that made Iggy have to bite his lip to keep quiet, "or do you want to fuck me? Or I could do you," he added, and kissed the inside of Ignis' thigh.

"I'd like that," Ignis said, sounding both wistful and wary. "I remember the last time."

Gladio winced. Good thing he'd pulled his head out of his ass or it really might have been their last time together. "Pretty fucking romantic, right? I'd say nothing's too good for you – which is true – but I want to get laid and all I've got is this blanket on the ground here."

"The fire's romantic, I imagine," Ignis said, though he didn't glance in that direction. "You should have seen your skin by candlelight. You glowed. You were gorgeous."

"You _are_ gorgeous," Gladio said. Suddenly, he had to be kissing Ignis, so he knelt up, catching him by the neck and pulling him down until their mouths met. Ignis' arms curled around him fierce and tight, nothing hesitant in him; familiar and precious and not lost or ruined. Gladio leaned so Ignis had to come with him, sliding from the chair to his lap, bare legs draped decadent over leather, and then bore him down to the ground.

Ignis kissed him a minute longer before shoving him off and telling him to undress already. He pulled his discreet toiletries bag from the armiger, and Gladio was forced to struggle out of his trousers while watching Ignis finger himself open. Ignis could probably tell when he got stuck just by listening; he smirked in Gladio's direction as he canted his hips up.

Finally free, Gladio dropped down to cover Ignis again, kissing him while sliding a finger in alongside Ignis' own, making him gasp and dig his heels in against the ground.

"Enough," Ignis said, sharp like he was giving commands in a battle, and handed Gladio a condom. Gladio was tempted to reply to the implicit order with a teasing _yes, sir_, but he was trying to do this right. Make it good for Ignis, the way he liked, even while Ignis was probably likewise indulging his love for sex outdoors. So he rolled the condom on and pushed Ignis' knees forward, trailing kisses across knees and bruised shins as he lined himself up and slid into Ignis in one long slow push. Ignis' back arched and his chest heaved, and his hands shot out to the sides to scrabble across the ground. He felt so good around Gladio, tight and hot, that he nearly gave in to temptation and just took his own pleasure, fast and rough.

But he waited for Ignis to adjust – or at least for him to get his breathing under control – and then started building a rhythm, pulling back slowly and then snapping his hips to drive himself in to the hilt again. He knew he had the right angle when Ignis wasn't able to hold back a sudden cry, his hand slapping over his mouth a moment too late.

"I love when you're noisy," Gladio said, circling his hips, trying to get in deeper. "Someday I'm going to take you where you can scream. Make me scream. Wish I could fuck you forever." He leaned down and kissed Ignis with awkward desperation before pushing himself back up and starting up a frantic pace. Beneath him, Ignis put his formidable flexibility and stamina to work, clenching around each thrust, even as he twisted and writhed with pleasure. "You're beautiful," Gladio said, wanting Ignis to believe. "I love – " _all of you_, he swallowed down " – I love – "

"_Oh_," Ignis cried, muffed by a fist jammed up against his mouth, and his shoulders curled up as he came, dick untouched.

Gladio couldn't help himself. He fucked Ignis through his orgasm until he went abruptly limp and breathless, and then with just a handful of thrusts he was coming, too, shaking and holding on to Ignis like they were the only two left in the whole dark world.

He could have gone to sleep like that, on top of and inside Ignis, but he'd probably get murdered, so he sat back gingerly, wincing as his cock pulled free. He tossed the condom under the chair to clean up later, and rubbed Iggy's legs again as he stretched our the stiffness from being folded in half and fucked.

"We need to clean up," Ignis said after a moment. He made no move to get up, though, and Gladio kissed him and told him to stay right there.

His own legs were loose and shaky as he went to fetch some water from the tank, and now that his head was clearing he hoped they hadn't woken Prompto and scandalized him. The kid didn't deserve that. He sat down next to Ignis and wet one of the towels, using it to wipe Ignis' face first, then chest and arms, then his stomach where his come was already drying, and finally his dick.

"You good?" he asked, brushing Ignis' hair back from his face while wetting another towel and giving himself a desultory rubdown.

"A bit dizzy," Ignis admitted. "It'll pass." The corners of his mouth curled up in a faint smile. "I suppose you may have turned my head."

"I definitely swept you off your feet," Gladio pointed out. He was full to brimming with fondness and he didn't know what to do with that much emotion. He'd think about how to reconcile it with duty in the morning – or better let, let Ignis come up with a strategy. "We should get dressed, though."

He pulled their workout clothes from the armiger. Prompto wouldn't think it was weird that they left their uniforms hung up on the chairs to air out. Gladio pulled on his sweatpants and then helped Ignis sit up and dress. He swayed, so Gladio grounded him. As simple as that, when they didn't have their pride to get in the way.

"Are we good?" he asked as he helped Ignis to his feet. "I feel like I was this close to losing you, and – thing is, even when I was furious with myself, I still loved you."

"You keep using that word," Ignis said after a short pause. Gladio grabbed their clothes and started draping them over chair backs, and tossed the dirty towels into a pile to deal with later. The condom went in the kitchen trash, under a handful of onion skins, and voila, the haven looked totally innocent of any sexual activity.

Ignis, folding the blanket into a neat square, seemed content to let the subject drop. Probably for both their sakes Gladio should do likewise, but... he liked to tackle things head on.

"It's how I feel," Gladio said, and saw Ignis still. "I don't need you to feel the same way, I just want you to know."

"Of course your feelings are returned," Ignis said, as if affronted that he needed to spell that out.

"Okay, then," Gladio said. He put an arm around Ignis and kissed him. "I'm sorry."

Ignis didn't ask for what; he just leaned against Gladio and nodded. After a moment, Gladio walked him over to the tent. Ignis slipped inside, where Prompto was snoring, and Gladio went to sit by the fire and finish his watch. He checked his phone, smiling at a cute picture from Iris, and saw that the number on his hookup app had gone up by three. He'd do better by Iggy from now on, he promised himself. He moved the app into a folder and turned notifications off, and watched the smoke drift up to the starless sky.


End file.
